A new life for the Château de Lavardens

The financial support from TotalEnergies is being used to fund part of the restoration work for the chateau classified as a Monument historique[1], including a professional reintegration work package.

 

On Friday, September 3rd 2021, a funding agreement was signed for the restoration of the northeast wing of the Château de Lavardens (Gers, France) by the TotalEnergies Foundation and the National Heritage Foundation. The event was held on site and attended by Thierry Renard, TotalEnergies Foundation representative in South West France, Christophe Jankowiak, President of the Art Center at the Château de Lavardens, Bernard Cassagne, Occitanie Pyrénées Regional Delegate for the Heritage Foundation, and many other leading figures from the Gers region.

Preserving and passing on architectural and cultural heritage is one of the main areas of focus for the TotalEnergies Foundation. Since 2006, it has been supporting the French Heritage Foundation in its mission to restore French heritage. At the heart of the different departments, close to sites where TotalEnergies operates, over 200 restoration projects have already received financial support.

 

• Click HERE to view the map of all the restoration projects funded by the TotalEnergies Foundation in South West France.

 

We are contributing €120,000 to the restoration of the northeast wing of the Château de Lavardens, as this part of the monument requires the most urgent attention. The reason behind this choice in particular is the convergence of different criteria such as the quality of the building itself, the virtuous aspect of the sustainable restoration of the monument, and the artistic use of the chateau, deep-rooted in the robust territorial dynamics which, together with social ties, complete our philosophy of providing access to culture for people living in remote areas.

Another aspect that is of particular importance to us, is that the restoration project involves work packages that integrate and provide training for young people who are having difficulties finding employment.  In Lavardens, young people studying in vocational schools and beneficiaries of the CAUE (French Council of Architecture, Urban Planning and the Environment - public general interest service) in professional integration, are taking part in the operations.  A beautiful sand and lime rendering was applied to the external walls using traditional techniques. Using it as a teaching work site, students were able to apply the traditional restoration technique to preserve the character of buildings like this which give our territories their cultural wealth.

 

[1] A monument historique is a label given in France to certain national heritage sites that are protected owing to their importance to France's architectural and historical cultural heritage.